A poem by Bethany N. Bella
I stood somewhere where I couldn’t see
The markings of modernity
Spoiling the scene
I stood somewhere where I wasn’t surrounded
By people’s incessant chattering sounds
I stood somewhere where I could hear the wind
Folding through limbs
Pressing through space
And I thought
I thought about my transience
My fleeting departure on the banks of next week
And I thought
Of my arrogant pride
How these rocks, and trails, and trees before
Have existed
Since before the Revolution
Before the dawn of dinosaurs
And I thought
This place won’t be here
Won’t remain if we don’t let it be
If I return to a thousand mini condominiums
I think my head will explode
To imagine
This place before me
Existing
Breathing
Smelling
Sounding
Before me
Always after me
Why can’t we let it be?
Bethany N. Bella 